He's such a slow poke !

Jesse is the sweetest, most loving boy I know .. but he is also the sloooooowest child !! I understand he's laid back but seriously .. it takes him a half hour to get dressed in the morning and I constantly have to prod him along. I dread homework .. he sits there and sits there and I have to stand over his shoulder and keep after him or he'll just never get it done. It's not unusual for him to work on homework for over an hour ! He's a smart kid too and knows how to do his work .. but he makes it so much harder than it really is. Brushing his teeth .. a 20 minute chore. Getting his shoes on ... 10 minutes. Between finding his jacket and actually getting it on .. 15 minutes easily.

I don't know how to get him moving !!

Jayden on the other hand is a spaz .. but he'a a whole other thread !

Anyone got any ideas ?? I'd love to hear them.

 

Take you out of the equation and set a timer. It's what I do when Aaron who has focus issues, decides he needs to sharpen his pencil, check on his brothers, look out the window, and so forth rather than do his homework. I used the oven timer because it's in the kitchen where we do homework. You can buy a cheap timer on Amazon if your oven one isn't convenient.

 

I was going to suggest the timer too. We use timers for everything. Sometimes I say " lets see if you can get dressed in less than 5 mins". They love a good challenge.

 

I have one of those too. It's super frustrating to me too. I hate being late and watching her get ready is pure torture sometimes. I'm the get up and get moving type of person. The fact that I can get 2 younger kids dressed and ready and myself dressed and ready, breakfasts and lunch made before her (all she has to do is get dressed, brush her teeth and hair!), it drives me nuts! I try the timer and the competition and sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.

 

One of my boys is the same way. The timer definitely works. I give him 20 minutes in the morning to get changed, brush his hair, and wash his face. If he isn't done at the end of the timer, we leave for school anyway, even if he hasn't washed his face, combed his hair, or is still in his pajamas. (Thankfully, he has never had to go to school in his pajamas. He has gone a few times with messy hair and unwashed face, but I can live with that.)
I also tell him (without getting mad or emotional) that I'll set the timer for 20 minutes (or whatever appropriate time) to do his homework and then it's time for dinner. If he isn't finished with his homework, he will have to turn in whatever he has finished at that point, even if he's not completely done. I don't stand over him to make sure he is done, but I do stay close so he can ask me questions if he is stuck on a problem. At this age, I think it's more important to make sure he has enough time to eat dinner and go to sleep early, rather than finish all of his homework.

So far, the prospect of having to turn in an incomplete homework has been a big motivator. He has gotten much faster with his homework and does not dawdle like he used to.

 

I have one just like this (DD). She is one of the world's biggest dawdlers (okay, maybe it just seems that way!). While my DS is motivated by the timer, she is not (much). I don't have great suggestions for you, just some sympathy, as it takes her forever to get a task/chore done.

On the bright side, she is very careful when she is on task -- I have dreams that one day, her ability to be extra careful and stay on task will serve her well (if it does not drive me bonkers first!)

Much peace,

Meg

 

Or Walmart or the Dollar store for us frugal mommas.

But, I agree with a timer. Also, I know for mine that when they know exactly, in detail, what they need to do it helps. For things that seem boring and they get easily distracted, I give them a check-list. I make it detailed and use pictures along with the words for my early readers. Put it in a sheet protector and they can use a dry erase marker to check things off as they do them and wipe them off to use again. If they can read a clock, you can add times to each item so they can make sure they are staying on track.

This is how I work with my kids and with myself. I often get off track when I'm trying to do stuff. I'll be working on one thing and see something else that needs to be done and, before you know it, I'm out of time to do finish what I was working on in the first place. But, if I have a detailed checklist, it helps me stay on track.

 

I feel your pain! Both of my twins are exactly like your son. Drives me bonkers! I set the timer, too, but they really don't care if they aren't done when it goes off. So, lately I've been bribing them and praising them like crazy. It helps some, but geez, if you come up with a solution let me know because I just don't know what to do either.

Another big one for us is them getting their buckles on when they get in the car. They flip over the seats, look around at everything, talk talk talk to each other, but oh, man....JUST SIT DOWN!

One thing that I'm going to make this weekend, with help from the girls, is a chart with all the things they have to do in the morning. (morning are a huge time crunch for us). Also, I think I have to find somethng that motivates them. So, I'm thinking of doing a fake money reward system and let them buy things (piece of gum, fun eraser, fruit snacks, and they can save for bigger item like a small toy). There are a few holiday movies coming out in November and December and they LOVE going to the movies, so I might add that as a reward.